Driving human-to-human connections

Marco Landi, president, Polycom Asia Pacific, Europe & Africa

Quality meetings depend on quality technology: how well the group can hear and see each other, annotate content in real time and keep track of and build on ideas

Businesses are relying on technology to boost their productivity and are looking to create smart workplaces in an effort to maintain their competitive edge. Technology could also isolate workers, so it is time we recognised that collaboration and teamwork drive productivity.

According to a survey, 63pc of workers want access to unified communications for this reason¹. Human-to-human connections are enabling workforces to be more agile and make faster decisions by connecting from any location with anyone. Continued innovation in technology is driving the development of the smart workplaces that businesses and workers desire.

Technology could also isolate workers, so it is time we recognised that collaboration and teamwork drive productivity

For smart workplaces to really work, there also needs to be a cultural shift in attitude and approach to how people work and collaborate. By measuring performance based on results, and not hours worked, employees are reassured that management knows clocking in from 9 to 5 does not always equal a good work ethic.

Underlying this shift in work culture is technology. The right collaboration technology is required to enable disparate teams to collaborate, and employees to have the same access to resources as if they were in the office.

A realistic meeting scenario in the 21st century includes a mix of attending people connecting through a variety of technologies including video, audio and collaboration software, as well as in person.

Quality meetings depend on quality technology: how well the group can hear each other, see each other, annotate content in real time and keep track of and build on their ideas.

There also needs to be a cultural shift in attitude and approach to how people work and collaborate

One of the fundamental elements for the success of smart workplaces is how well the ecosystems connect to each other. Interoperability of systems is important as it is not uncommon for businesses to have geographically dispersed teams, with team members connecting from different systems or types of devices.

Organisations, including Polycom customers, are saying that their ability to offer workplace flexibility is one of the main factors when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. Using the right collaboration technology in smart workplaces is an inevitable course to success.

The amazing potential of collaboration is transforming everything about the way business is done. Polycom is enabling workforces that can connect, share and collaborate from any location with anyone anywhere. Are you ready for the workplace of the future? To learn more about how collaboration can empower your workforce, visiit polycom.co.uk.